Learning about a company I have ties to, I just found out that their server has no encryption or antivirus software installed on it. When they asked their IT company why (they deal with a lot of sensitive data), they were told that both of these would have affected performance, so they decided to forgo it. I'm concerned about this though because it sounds like a major security issue, but I was hoping someone here could clarify.
I'm not a System Administrator, but this doesn't sit well with me.
Best Answer
Forgoing software firewalls and anti virus tools on a server for reasons of performance is like choosing to forgo a harness while racing in the Le Mans because it's scratchy. Your parents need to find a new IT outsourcing company. Quickly.
Yes there are performance hits, but a properly sized server will be able to manage that performance degradation. The risks of not having proper security software are far, far worse than a sluggish server.